The Next Step After Figma: Who Will Lead?
The post-Figma question: Who’s next? Hi, it’s Alexandra Sternlicht filling in for Allie today. Figma’s sensational IPO last week resurrected longstanding debates about IPO pricing and first day pops—an unsurprising reaction to the newly listed stock’s 333% surge in its first days of trading. As investors dissect the offering (and as Figma’s stock settles back a bit, falling 27% […]
PitchBook Reports 210 Enterprise SaaS M&A Deals in Q1 2025
In Q1 2025, enterprise SaaS M&A deal count hit 210, according to PitchBook Consider, first, the good news, of which there’s quite a bit: Q1 2025 saw 210 enterprise SaaS mergers and acquisitions get done, a number on par with the 211 deals inked in Q4 2024, according to recent PitchBook data. That’s also a […]
Exclusive: Roboflow secures $40 million in Series B funding for vision AI startup
Exclusive: Roboflow, vision AI startup, raises $40 million Series B When I met Joseph Nelson, CEO and cofounder of Roboflow, I asked him a question that I ask pretty much everyone: If we randomly met at a party, how would you explain what your company does? “I tell people that Roboflow makes developer tools to […]
Data from startup Evinced reveals that the top LLMs have blind spots when it comes to accessibility.
The leading LLMs have accessibility blind spots, says data from startup Evinced While working at Oracle, Navin Thadani found himself wrestling with an unexpected technical challenge. He was trying to make the company’s existing applications more digitally accessible—part of a growing personal interest in ensuring that all consumers, including those with disabilities, can successfully use […]
Stealth Mode Startup Reactiv Launches Mobile Commerce Platform with $5 Million in Seed Funding
Reactiv, mobile commerce startup, launches out of stealth with $5 million seed round The rise of Shopify, based in Ottawa, Ontario, has boosted Canada’s tech scene in recent years. But what’s it actually like raising money for an early-stage startup in Canada these days? Zack Elias and Ross Correia, two Shopify alums, are a case […]
Hemant Taneja of General Catalyst Discusses AI, LPs, and Securing Nearly $8 Billion in Funding
General Catalyst’s Hemant Taneja on AI, LPs, and raising around $8 billion I talked to General Catalyst CEO and managing director Hemant Taneja in the dark. Well, he didn’t know that, but by now he probably does. The news broke yesterday morning that General Catalyst (GC for short) had raised about $8 billion in new […]
Here’s what investors should focus on: The upcoming era of AI will not be propelled by LLMs
The next wave of AI won’t be driven by LLMs. Here’s what investors should focus on Apple just published a paper that subtly acknowledges what many in the artificial intelligence (AI) community have been hinting at for some time: Large language models (LLMs) are approaching their limits. These systems—like OpenAI’s GPT-4—have dazzled the world with […]
Qualities of a Strong Prospective Founder and Mayfield’s AI Garage: Insights from Navin Chaddha
Mayfield’s Navin Chaddha on the firm’s AI Garage and the qualities of a strong prospective founder Navin Chaddha, Mayfield Fund managing partner, wants me to know that the firm’s new AI Garage is meant to actually evoke a garage, the kind where you put your car and the Amazon boxes you’ve forgotten about. A garage […]
Attracting Deep Tech Talent from Big Companies is Now Easier for Startups, According to Mytra CEO Chris Walti
For startups, attracting deep tech talent from large companies is more attainable than ever, says Mytra CEO and cofounder Chris Walti Chris Walti knows a thing or two about robots. Walti spent more than seven years at Tesla, where he ultimately led the project that became the much-discussed humanoid robot Optimus. Since 2022, he’s been […]
AI assistants, such as Otter.ai, are exposing negative remarks about colleagues
AI assistants like Otter.ai are ratting you out for badmouthing coworkers If you’ve ever been in a Zoom meeting and seen an Otter.ai virtual assistant in the room, just know they’re listening to you—and recording everything you’re saying. It’s a practice that’s become somewhat mainstream in the age of artificial intelligence and hybrid or remote […]